Blue Hydrangeas
[Photo By: KPA]
Hydrangeas!
By: John Kaprielian
Hydrangeas blooming everywhere
throughout the park
At each turn another
Different yet the same.
Pale snowballs dot
one verdant bush
While another thrusts
her gaudy pink
pom-poms in my path.
A third holds blue globes aloft,
like a celestial clown
juggling earths.
Flattopped soldiers in
variegated uniforms
line one walkway
their soft blue flowers
intricate and lacy
undermining their authority,
while at the gate
spiky red giants
stand guard.
Hydrangeas, From The Old Farmer's Almanac
With immense billowy blossoms, hydrangeas flaunt an old-fashioned charm that is hard to resist. Colors also beguile with clear blues, vibrant pinks, frosty whites, lavender, and rose—sometimes all blooming on the same plant!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The colors of some H. macrophylla flowers are affected by the relative availability of aluminum ions in the soil. Acidic soils with a pH of less than 5.5 produce blue flowers; soils with a pH greater than 5.5 product pink flowers. White flowers are not affected by pH.
Unrivaled in the shrub world, these elegant ladies are easy to cultivate, tolerate almost any soil, and produce flowers in mid-summer through fall (when little else may be in bloom). Hydrangeas are excellent for a range of garden sites from group plantings to shrub borders to containers.---------------------------------------------------------
Plant type: Shrub
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Sun exposure: Part Sun, Shade
Soil type: Any
Soil pH: Acidic , Slightly Acidic to Neutral, Neutral , Neutral to Slightly Alkaline
Flower color: Red, Pink, Blue, Purple, White
Bloom time: Summer, Fall---------------------------------------------------------
Planting
- Most hydrangeas thrive in rich, porous, somewhat moist soils. Add compost to enrich poor soil.
- They prefer full sun in the morning, with some afternoon shade; however, many will grow and bloom in partial shade. This is especially true for the bigleaf hydrangeas (see Recommended Varieties below).
- Plant in spring or fall.
- Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and 2 to 3 times as wide.
- Set the plant in the hole and fill it half full with soil. Water. After water is drained, fill the rest of the hole with soil.
- Water thoroughly.
- Space multiple hydrangeas about 3 to 10 feet apart.---------------------------------------------------------
Care
For the first year or two after planting and during any drought, be sure hydrangeas get plenty of water. Leaves will wilt if the soil is too dry.---------------------------------------------------------
PRUNING
When growing H. macrophylla varieties in Zones 4 and 5, don't prune unless absolutely necessary, and then do so immediately AFTER blooming. Otherwise, remove only dead stems in the spring.
If you need to prune an older hydrangea, it depends on which variety you have.
- The common Bigleaf hydrangea should be pruned AFTER flowers fade (late spring/early summer). If you prune before bloom, you may not have blossoms the following spring.
- Oakleaf, panicle, and smooth hydrangeas blossom on the current seasons' wood so they should be pruned BEFORE bloom when plant is dormant, i.e. late winter or early spring.
In the fall, cover plants to a depth of at least 18 inches with bark mulch, leaves, pine needles, or straw. If at all possible, cover the entire plant, tip included, by making cages out of snow fencing or chicken wire, and loosely filling the cages with leaves. (Do not use maple leaves.)
Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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